Growing Through Traumatic Brain Injury

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The aftermath of a traumatic brain injury. Going through it. Growing through it. Artist Bittin Foster Duggan did just that, and then she used the creative process that helped her as a model for helping others. Growing Through It®: WHOLEistic Rehabilitation Through the Arts is her contribution to the world of healing. She originally focused her work on people living with TBI, but she’s since gone on to apply her method in workshops for individuals facing a variety of life challenges. The video that accompanies her CollectiveArtsInk interview features a flowing stream of beautifully compelling images, starting with her own post-TBI artwork. The path of her healing journey is illuminated via these drawings and paintings and reveals a shift in focus from the external to the internal. Once she discovered her inner world, there was no stopping her.

The artwork of the people Ms. Duggan has since helped eloquently speaks for itself as the video continues, along with her narrative. One piece, a human-faced scale balancing a candle and a light bulb, is accompanied by a thoughtful reading about the image as it relates to living with a traumatic brain injury. Clinicians will not want to miss these words, as they convey a wealth of information that some clients with TBI might not be able to communicate so directly.

This is definitely one art show that’s worthy of the big screen. Once you’ve hit “play”, do yourself a favor and click on the “expand” arrows in the lower right-hand side of the video. This will take you to full-screen mode, and although there may be a few seconds of white, the rest of the 25 minutes ahead will be anything but. (If you miss the opportunity to click on the “expand” arrows, just hover your mouse over the video as it plays; this will bring those arrows back to the lower right corner.) Going through the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury means growing through it, and the verbal and visual messages you’ll encounter in this interview will leave you in awe of just how much growth really is possible.

With appreciation for the important work you do,

Megan July 2014

About the Image on this page

This is a thumbnail of Texture, which was posted to The Public Domain website by Mitch Featherston in 2012. Click here for more information.

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Disclaimer

Art therapy is a regulated mental health profession; standards of competent art therapy practice in the U.S. require a graduate education in art therapy as well as supervised post-graduate training in art therapy. The information presented on this site is not intended to serve as a substitute for these requirements, but it may enhance the reader's understanding of the use of art in assessment and treatment.